The hospitality industry is notoriously demanding, with long hours and irregular shift patterns, which makes anyone working in the field an unsung hero in my eyes. It’s challenging, with immense time pressures, so it’s no wonder that sometimes things can slip through the cracks when it comes to turning around hundreds of bedrooms before a 3pm check-in on a Friday night.

I’ve found a pair of pants on the floor, a half-bottle of water still in the fridge, a dirty dressing gown and a blood-stained sheet, after checking into my supposed clean bedroom at various hotels. While it’s easy to check these areas at a glance, there’s one thing I thoroughly inspect and clean every time I head into a hotel room, and that’s the glassware.

The majority of us have checked into a hotel room to be greeted with a complimentary tea and coffee setup, all ready at our disposal. Yet, over the years, I’ve come to find out that not all hotels thoroughly wash their mugs before the next guest’s arrival, disgusting, I know.

On more than one occasion, I’ve witnessed housekeepers rinsing the mugs out with water in the bathroom sink, wiping them with a cloth, before placing them on the table ready for the next guest. While it removes the coffee or tea dregs, it doesn’t quite cut it for washing up a mug that is used by guests over and over again.

This also goes for the water glasses placed on the sink or bedside table, a simple swill, and Voilà! Now, I’m not saying that every hotel does this, but from my own personal experiences, I’m always a little wary.

So, now with every hotel check-in, I always check the glassware, and boil the kettle to rinse them out with hot water as a precaution. I also use a little hand soap. After all, I’m not going to be that guest who demands a fresh mug and glass just in case they haven’t been washed up; a simple home sterilization is enough to put my mind at ease.

But I understand it’s hard for the housekeepers. They have an extensive list of cleaning requirements from stripping the beds, deep cleaning the bathrooms, hoovering the floor, replacing robes and slippers, wiping glass and windows, to restocking the mini fridge and intricately folding numerous towels.

Sometimes they barely have a minute to breathe, let alone race down to the kitchen, fill the dishwasher and reload a tray of glasses to replace them in every room. They typically have a 3pm deadline to meet for every room, and with staff shortages, it proves even more challenging.

Previously, ABC News launched an undercover investigation that revealed housekeeping at 11 out of 15 hotels didn’t replace the glassware when cleaning the rooms. Instead, it was found that they were rinsed in the sink before being wiped with a cleaning cloth or sponge.

To avoid this sanitary concern, some hotels use plastic-wrapped cups, while others maintain that they do wash their glassware thoroughly. Yet, even if the glass or mug appears smudge-free and clean, it can be hard to tell.

So next time you’re checking into a hotel room, boil the kettle and give your mug a swill as a precaution. Or if you’re really worried, take your own reusable water bottle and ask for a fresh mug at the hotel bar, because no one wants to be thinking about someone else’s lips when sipping that morning coffee.

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